Spunkies Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Add in the whole egg, egg yolk and almond and vanilla extracts. Mix until incorporated.
• Slowly fold the flour mixture into the sugar-egg mixture with a rubber spatula until even. Fold in the chocolate chips, pistachios and cherries.
• Divide the batter into about 1/4 cup balls and space about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the sheets 180 degrees, switch racks and then bake until slightly golden brown, an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, and eat on Christmas morning with a hot cup of coffee and amongst piles of wrapping paper and elated pajama'd kids.

Steps:

• To prepare the vinaigrette: In an electric blender or food processor, puree the basil and garlic with the olive oil.
• Transfer to a small bowl; stir in the cheese, vinegar, and pepper.
• In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients, add the vinaigrette, and toss well.
• Slice off the top third of each roll.
• Scrape out the insides, leaving a 1/2-inch shell.
• (Reserve the insides for bread crumbs.) Spoon about 1/4 cup of the tuna filling into each roll, add a slice of cheese, and repeat.
• Add a final layer of the tuna.
• Wrap each sandwich in aluminum foil and refrigeratefor at least 3 and up to 24 hours.
• Serves 6.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• For the cakes: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position.
• To make single-use Twinkie molds, cut 12 pieces of aluminum foil 12 inches wide by 14 inches long. Fold each piece of foil in half lengthwise, then fold it in half again to create a rectangle that's about 6 inches long and 7 inches wide. Repeat to make a dozen rectangles.
• Place one sheet of folded foil on a work surface with a standard-size spice jar on its side in the center of the foil. Bring the long sides of the foil up around the jar, folding the sides and ends as necessary to make a tight trough-shape from which the jar can be removed. Repeat to make 12 foil molds. Spray generously with nonstick spray or coat with vegetable oil. Place the molds on a baking sheet.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the milk and butter until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Cover to keep warm.
• Using a standing mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy. Gradually add 6 tablespoons of the sugar and the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the whites reach soft peaks.
• Transfer the beaten egg whites to a large bowl and add the egg yolks to the standing mixer bowl (there's no need to clean the bowl). Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is very thick and a pale lemon color, about 5 minutes. Add the beaten egg whites to the yolks, but do not mix.
• Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg whites and then mix everything on low speed for just 10 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer, make a well in one side of the batter, and pour the melted butter mixture into the bowl. Fold gently with a large rubber spatula until the batter shows no trace of flour and the whites and yolks are evenly mixed, about 8 strokes.
• Immediately scrape the batter into the prepared molds, filling each with about .75 inch of batter. Bake until the cake tops are light brown and feel firm and spring back when touched, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pan containing the molds to a wire rack and allow the cakes to cool in the molds.
• For the filling: Using a mixer, beat together the butter, confectioners' sugar and Marshmallow Fluff. Add the cream and beat just until smooth.
• Just before filling the cakes, remove them from the foil. Using the end of a chopstick, poke three holes in the bottom of each cake. Wiggle the tip of the chopstick to make room for the filling. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe frosting into the holes in each cake, taking care not to overfill, until it gently expands. Unlike real Twinkies, these won't last indefinitely. They're best served still slightly warm.

Steps:

• Make the marinade: Whisk together all the ingredients in a large bowl.
• Add the meat to the marinade and cover tightly, or place into large, re-sealable plastic bags and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours (or 10 to 12 hours for chicken).
• Build a fire in your grill, leaving about 1/3 of grill free of coals, or set a gas grill to high.
• Remove the meat from its marinade and thread onto metal skewers, or wooden ones that you have soaked in water for 30 minutes or so. The chunks can be placed quite close together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• When coals are covered with gray ash and fire is still quite high (you can hold your hand 5 inches above coals for only a couple of seconds), place the skewers of meat directly over the flames. Allow the meat to cook, undisturbed, for approximately 3 to 4 minutes, then use kitchen tongs to turn them over and repeat on the other side. Continue turning the skewers every couple of minutes until the meat is deeply crisp at its edges, and cooked entirely through, approximately another 5 to 7 minutes. (Remove them to the cool side of the grill if they begin to burn, and cover the grill to allow them to smoke-roast until finished; this is much less likely to happen on a gas grill.)
• Allow the spiedies to rest on a cutting board for a few minutes, then remove the meat from the skewers onto cut hero rolls or a plate. Serve with hot sauce on the side.